This new agreement is the latest development in the ongoing work of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 (TFA 2020) Africa Palm Oil Initiative (APOI), coordinated by Proforest since 2014. The Declaration sends an important message: these signatory countries are open for business, but will only welcome oil palm investments that comply with the principles of sustainability, transparency and the protection of human rights set out in the Declaration.

This morning’s public signing of the Declaration represents a tangible step forward in providing a practical framework for governments and companies to meet their responsible production and sourcing commitments. The next step now is the development and implementation of practical action plans for responsible oil palm development which build on the principles.